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Mutual Encouragements

Mutual Encouragements

A Brief Survey of the Epistle of Paul to the Romans

Base on sermons preached in PCC
Worship Services,
July 2003 to Sep 2005

Part 2a of 83

“First, I thank my God
through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the
whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in
the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my
prayers; 10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might
have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. 11
For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the
end ye may be established; 12 That is, that I may be comforted
together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 Now I would not have you
ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let
hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other
Gentiles. 14 I am debtor both
to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15
So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at
Rome also”( Romans 1:8-15).

It is quite a well-known
fact that the book of Romans can be divided into two parts: the first 11
chapters has to do with doctrine,
while the last 5 chapters has to do with applications.

We must remember, however,
that this book was written as a letter. Thus there will be customary elements
of a letter like recipient and sender identity, as well as personal remarks. We
studied the introductory elements previously. In this continuing study, we must
look at some personal remarks that Paul made to the Romans as he opens the
letter.

We may consider it under
three heads: (1) A note of Thanksgiving (v. 8); (2) A note of Prayer (v. 9-10);
and (3) A note of Longing (v. 11-15).

1. A Note of
Thanksgiving

8 First, I thank my God
through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the
whole world.

a. The faith of the Roman Christians was
well-known. They had a good reputation amongst the Christians throughout the
Roman Empire. How did their fame spread? Partly, it must have been through word
of mouth of those who visited Rome. And partly, it might have been through
those who met the Roman Christians who were expelled from Rome during the reign
of emperor Claudius, such as Aquila and Priscilla (cf. Acts 18:2-3).

Whatever the means by
which the Romans were made famous, the Romans had a reputation by the time Paul
wrote to them.

But notice what Paul said
was well-known about them. Was it their wealth? Was it their works? Was it
their generosity? Was it their knowledge? No, no, it was their faith that was
spoken about. Yes, no doubt their faith,—faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,—would
include knowledge and good works; but all these would amount to nothing were it
not for their faith.

It was well-known around
the Roman empire that there was a church in Rome, and that the members were
godly and faithful Christians. What a great commendation for the church!

b. The apostle Paul thanks
God for them. “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all” he says.
What does it mean to thank God through Jesus Christ? What is the difference
with merely thanking God? The difference is the humble acknowledgement on the
part of the apostle that his relationship with God is a covenant relationship
through Christ his covenant head.

Paul would later speak
about the sinfulness of man. The sinfulness or depravity of man was not just an
intellectual concept for Paul. He knew that his sinfulness meant that he cannot
approach God except through Christ, the only mediator between God and man. So
even in praising and thanking God for the Romans, he had to do so through the
Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise, his praises cannot be pleasing to God. This is
but a small illustration of how the apostle was true to his life’s motto—“for
me to live is Christ!” Let none of us ever forget the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us
never leave him from our minds when we pray or thank God for anything.

But notice who he thanks
God for? “For you all” he says. Not for some of you, but for all of
you—officers and members; young and old; male and female; bond and free; Jews
and Gentiles. “For you all.” Paul did not know many of the Christians in Rome. He knew some of them, and he
mentions them by name in chapter 16, but he could honestly thank God for the
whole church because they are called-out to be one body. There are no loose
stones in the temple of God, only lively stones joined together by the blood of
Christ and by God’s providence.

But why does the apostle
Paul tell the Romans that he thanks
God for them? It is, no doubt, right and proper for him to thank God for them.
We should always thank God for anything that brings us joy and encouragement.
But why does Paul need to tell them
that he thanks God for them?

It is, no doubt, to
encourage them. Paul saw the importance of mutual encouragement. It is truly
encouraging to be told by someone that he thanks God for us. When someone tells
me “I thank God for you,” I am encouraged, and I am encouraged to encourage him
or her in return.

This, apparently, was what
the Romans did. This letter was written in A.D. 67 or 68. Paul did not arrive
in Rome until about AD 60 or 61, and then as a prisoner. This is recorded in
Acts 28. There we are told that the Christians came out to meet him “as far as
Appii forum, and The three taverns.” When Paul saw them, “he thanked God, and
took courage” (Acts 28:15). He was encouraged by those whom he had earlier
encouraged!

c. Let
us learn a couple of things from Paul in this statement of thanksgiving.

First, let us
desire too to be known for our faith. The Romans, like the ancient fathers in
the faith, obtained a good report through faith (Heb 11:2). We, too, must
desire to betalked about for our faith.
We must not desire merely to be known as charitable or knowledgeable,
for that would bring glory to ourselves. We must rather be known for our
faith—that we are what we are because of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Secondly, let
us learn not only to be grateful to the Lord, but to encourage our brethren. Let
us learn to do so by our expressions of gratitude. We must not be afraid of
encouraging our brethren by thanking them for their labours of love, or telling
them of our gratitude to God for them! We must not be crippled by a fear of
flattery or a fear of making those we appreciate proud. If we should refrain
from expressions of gratitude and praise for fear of making people proud, then
the apostle Paul would have made a mistake, for surely such a statement (as v.
8) would make them proud!

But no, we should think, rather, that what
he told them would encourage
them to keep up their faith and good works.